(c) Apr 18 2001 RashiYomi Inc. MY COLLECTED & INDEXED MAIL JEWISH POSTINGS-Ver #1
Individual Postings 1st appeared(& were copied in html form) on the Email List Mail Jewish

From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@saber.towson.edu>
Date: Mon, 1 May 2000 18:32:39 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: RE: Curriculum and Women

Ester Zar in Mail Jewish Volume 32 Number 16 gives a lengthy halachic
discussion of what women can learn with a great many sources. But this
still does NOT answer my original point---that the real issue is not
WHETHER we can learn or DEVELOPING GOOD ROLE MODELS but rather WHAT we
should be teach.

Ester neglected to mention the explicit heter by the chafetz chayiim
that we teach girls today because they are forced by the government to
attend school anyway and it is therefore better that they learn Jewish
subjects vs totally non jewish subject (Ester mentioned this implicitly
in passing)

But my original question is still NOT answered--why do you teach these
girls for 12 years!?!?!

Here is a simple quiz (which everyone should pass--even those following
the stringencies on Esters list). This quiz can be given to a girl at
any stage of (K thru 12). How many girls can pass it at each grade level
Readers are encouraged to test their female relatives (daughters neices
etc) I reiterate that the Jewish community has a challenging question
before it...  development of a syllabus that meets educational goals
(and prohibitions).

Here is the quiz:
1) The Midrash says that "RUth has no 'dos' or 'don'ts'--why then was
it canonized? Because it teaches caring (Chesed). How many acts of chesed
can you list from Ruth (2) List the number of ways that Ester influenced
Jewish history (eg Most people don't know she fought with the Sanhedrin to
establish purim) (3) List the 7 female prophets (4) Relate the story of
Yehudith--what Biblical model did she follow....how do we commemorate this
story (5) Name and tell the story of a woman who saved a jewish city (6)
Name and tell the story of a woman who reunited a father and son

Again: the above quiz relates to 'permissable' learning even according
to the more stringent opinions brought by Ester. How many girls can do
well on it? What are we doing about our curriculum to improve it.

Russell Jay Hendel; Phd ASA; rhendel@towson.edu
Moderator Rashi is Simpl
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/